Shirt



(No Model.)

0. G. OLBMINSHAW.

SHIRT.

Nd. 594,194. Patented Nov. 23,1897.

Nrrnn STATES CHARLES G. CLEMINSHAW, OF TROY NEW YORK.

SHIRT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 594,194, dated November23, 1897. Application filed June 14, 1897. Serial No. 640,657. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES G. CLEMIN- SHAW, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Troy, county of Rensselaer, and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shirts, of whichthe following is a specification.

The invention relates to such improvements; and it consists of the novelconstruction and combination of parts hereinafter described andsubsequently claimed.

Reference maybe had to the accompanying drawings and the letters ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in both figures of the drawings.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a view in elevation of the back of myimproved shirt. Fig. 2 is a similar view of an unfinished shirt, showingone of the steps in the manufacture.

The principal object of my invention is to prevent the body part of ashirt having its back opening reinforced by a continuous facing fromtearing along the facing near the crotch of the opening.

The invention consists of a shirt provided with a lateral reinforce,preferably a bias-cut triangular piece of cloth, stitched along two ofits side edges to the body part of the shirt and having its remainingside edge lapped and covered by the facing-strip and secured by the samestitches which secure the lapping edge of the facing-strip. v

A represents the back of a shirt, and A the usual back opening therein,the edges of the fabric formed by the opening being faced and reinforcedby the usual continuous facingstrip A B is my improved lateralreinforce, which is secured to the body of the shirt in the positionshown in Fig. 2 by means of the stitching B, inserted before thefacing-strip is applied. The facing-strip is then applied in the usualmanner, one edge lapping and covering-the reinforce, the lapped andcovered edge of the reinforce being indicated by the broken line B inFig. 1.

The line of stitching A serves to secure the lapped edges of the innerfacing and reinforce to the body of the shirt along the upper part ofthe reinforce, and the line of stitching A serves to secure the lappededges of the outer facing A and the reinforce to the body of the shirtalong the lower part of the reinforce.

The reinforce-piece is first secured to the body of the shirt on oneside of the crotch O, as seen in Fig. 2, and the facing-strips are thenattached in precisely the same manner as heretofore practiced, so thatvery little labor or expense is necessitated in carrying out myinvention.

Without my improved reinforce the body part of the shirt soon tears orbreaks at the point marked X in Fig. 1, which point is directly oppositethe crotch of the back opening and adjacent to the facing-strip. Thebreak is due to the great strain to which the shirt is subjected inputting the same on and off, generally after one arm has been insertedin a sleeve and the head through the neckopening. While the other arm isbeing inserted a diagonal strain is exerted along a straight lineextending from the crotch to the shoulders.

By cutting the lapped edge of the reinforce on the bias, as indicated bythe shade-lines in Fig. 1, approximately one-half the threads composingthe fabric of the reinforce-piece are made to extend along thestrain-lines running from the crotch to the shoulder, so that thereinforce-piece will give or stretch less in that direction than thefabric comprising the body part of the shirt, in which all the threadsextend along lines diagonal to the strain-lines, whereby the reinforcealmost wholly relieves the body'part from excessive strains.

The small reinforce-piece can be made of stronger fabric than the bodyof the shirt or made of two plies.

When the reinforce is cut to correspond in direction of threadlines withthe body of the shirt, it will still be of great advantage in dividingthe strain with the shirt-body and will prolong the usefulness of theshirt; but I prefer to out the reinforce-piece on the bias, as beforeexplained.

My invention is also applicable to any goreshaped opening havingfacing-strips, such as the back, sleeve, and front openings.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure 5 by Letters Patent, is-

A shirt having a gore-shaped opening reinforced by facing-strips andprovided on one side of the crotch with a lateral reinforce consistingof a piece of fabric having one side 10 lapped by the facing-stripsabove and below the crotch, the lapped edges of the strip and piecebeing secured by the same stitching t0 the body, and the exposed edgesof the piece by separate stitching, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 26th day ofFebruary, 1897.

O. G. GLEMINSI-IAW.

Witnesses:

GEO. A. MosHER, FRANK O. CURTIS.

